The Facts: The Panthers will not land quarterback Deshaun Watson, despite a long pursuit. But the team has nevertheless moved to create some financial flexibility for the rest of its offseason. According to ESPN’s Field Yates, Carolina has converted $11.765 million of Anderson‘s 2022 pay into a signing bonus. That has created $5.9 million in cap space.

Diehards Line: Anderson joined the Panthers on a two-year, $20 million deal in 2020 — reuniting him with his college coach, Matt Rhule. After posting a career season in his first year with Carolina, Anderson signed a two-year $29.5 million extension to put him under contract through 2023. But the receiver’s 2021 season was a disappointment, as he caught only 53 passes for a career-low 519 yards in 17 games. In six seasons, Anderson has 335 catches for 4,674 yards with 28 touchdowns.